Mike McCoy

About Mike McCoy

Mike McCoy is a novelist. His debut novel ASTEROIDS–Bridge to Nowhere, received high praise from critics and was selected as a semifinalist for the 2020 Publishers Weekly Booklife Prize with a rating of 9.5 out of 10.

Because of the research Mike conducted for the novel, he has been a frequent guest on talk radio shows, including Coast to Coast AM with George Noory discussing asteroids and their risk to Earth. 

 Mike was an international businessman and an entrepreneur who has traveled extensively. Mike worked in the consumer electronics industry for thirty years. The company he founded ADS Technologies, developed a variety of innovative products which were sold in retail stores in over forty countries around the world. Many innovations Mike and his company developed were “first in the world” products. 

Mike is an occasional athlete known for long distance events. He completed a full Ironman Triathlon in 2006. He thought running fifty miles would be a wonderful accomplishment, so for his fiftieth birthday, he ran a double Marathon (52.4 miles). In 2018, Mike celebrated his sixtieth birthday with a six-hundred-mile bike ride from Florence, Oregon, to San Francisco, California. 

Somehow, he finds time to write.

Learn more on his website.

Books:

ASTEROIDS – Bridge to Nowhere, Sept 2019, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XKDLFZJ

Short Story: OBSIDIAN – Tale of Karanga, February 2021,  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WCH433M

On the Waterfront, February 2023, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BKR5BVYD

Your biggest literary influences:

Vince Flynn

Clive Cussler

Andy Wier

What readers will take away from your book(s): My overall goal is to keep the reader captivated. As a reader, I hate being bored. I view books as a form of entertainment, and while some stories may have a message, I attempt to keep the reader reading. 

What is your ideal target audience? 

As a writer, it would be wonderful if everyone read and enjoyed my work. I know writers are supposed to stick to a single genre to grow an audience or write a series to keep readers coming back for more. 

I’m breaking the rules. My first novel was science fiction, my second novel is a coming-of-age story, and my third novel is science fiction again, none of them parts of a series, yet. 

I hope as I grow as a writer and produce more work, I will gain a loyal following of readers who enjoy my stories. 

If you had to describe your book as a cross between two well-known books what would you say?

This question is always difficult for me. I don’t try to write like anyone, copy a style or write mashups of other people’s work. I hope my writing and stories are unique. The idea for On the Waterfront came to me I was a twelve-year-old boy and it’s rattled around in my brain for decades. I attempted to write the story before, but it wasn’t right, so I shelved it. When I began working on it again, I deleted eighty pages leaving only a few key scenes and built the story from there. The one influence was ‘The Body’ by Steven King. The movie Stand by Me is based on that novel. I read the first couple of chapters to get a feel for the tone and voice. On the Waterfront is a very different story with a different tone, but reading a bit of King helped me get started.  

The book that changed your life:

Libraries have always intimidated me. There are so many books, I could never decide what to read, but when I was thirteen, I discovered The Hobbit. It was the thickest book I’d ever read. Finishing The Hobbit gave me a sense of accomplishment and opened my eyes to new worlds, and how words on a page can stimulate the reader’s imagination. 

Tell us about the protagonist in your latest book, and who would play her or him if they made a movie out of your book?

Danny Novak is a thirteen-year-old boy who comes from a small town and a broken home. With no father around and a mother who is consumed with her own issues, Danny must work odd jobs to earn money and take care of his younger brother. 

When he arrives at Camp Baker to work as camp staff for the summer, he is happy to be away from his crappy home, his mom, and his little brother. He is excited about being at camp, having adventures and making new friends. 

Danny quickly feels out of place. All the other boys are older and more worldly. He is picked on and called names. Danny must work through his insecurities, challenges to be accepted by the other boys, and learn to accept himself.

Since the main character is a young teen, we’d need to cast a young actor. Javon Wanna Walton is popular now, but he is already too old for this part. We’ll need to cast a new star for this role.  

If your protagonist could befriend any character from literature, who would he or she choose?

I have no idea. 😊

If you could write a retelling of any book (classic or modern) and put your own spin on it, which book would you choose and why?

I wouldn’t. I create my own stories. I wouldn’t try to rewrite someone else’s work. 

Review:

https://booklife.com/project/asteroids-bridge-to-nowhere-36307